Definition of Humanity
by Taryn Streambattle
Summary: Kakashi's transition from a child to a man was not during his Chuunin Exams, or even during a battle in the midst of the Third Great Shinobi War. No, Kakashi became a man the day Obito opened his eyes to what he truly was: A coward.


**Rating:** **K+ **Ah, back to normal! Mention of blood.

**Beta:** None

**Inspiration:** http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch? v= sbUmlr8aFmE

**Music Box:** "Hero," by Skillet. Namely, the Above AMV

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kakashi or Naruto. Obito, however... well, deceased characters don't count, do they?

**Notes: **Well, this was an unexpected piece of work. I was writing the next Nexus oneshot when BAM the above mentioned AMV came up in my Youtube playlist and this idea popped into my head. Finally, I wrote something with Obito in it (Not counting flashbacks). Written in like 20 minutes.

* * *

Two hands, two minds.

Two hearts, two thoughts.

Human. Only human, only children.

One set of hands, rough and callused from hard training. Still never good enough, still always the failure of the Clan. No one to talk to except Dead Lasts like Might Gai and that little prankster who called him "boss."

The second pair was eternally stained with blood, scarlet glinting in the night, yet they were deceptively soft and white. Always the better ninja- never had to work hard to get where he wanted to go. A genius, they called him. Konoha's most prized jewel alongside the Yellow Flash, Ino-Shika-Chou, and the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero.

One mind, hot and burning like fire, mind racing like lightning then acting without hesitation.

The other, cool and fluid, every scenario thought out from every angle before even suggesting a plan of action.

One heart, slowly healing from cruel words that pierced it daily- words of belittlement, of comparison, of "Why can't you be like your brother?" A heart only healing because of the love it freely gave to others- his parents, baby Itachi, Mikoto-chan, Minato-sensei, Rin, that little six-year-old prankster Iruka, young Gai, and, reluctantly, that jerk Kakashi-teme. A heart _alive_ with love.

The other, petrified stone cold with agony and loneliness, emotion killed long ago. Cracked in too many places to live. Dying.

One thought prevalent in his mind, _I have to save her. I can't leave her. She's saved me so many times before. Rin's my friend.  
_

The other, _I will not be like my father. I am a ninja, a Jounin of Konoha. I will not back down. This mission will be fulfilled if I have to do it myself.  
_

Two humans.

One a hero. One a coward.

One willing to defy every rule, break every law if only he could protect his friends. Never good enough, always concealed in the shadow, but ever loyal, ever willing to die if death was required of him.

The other never wanted to stand out. Oh, sure, his talents were abnormally developed, but he never did anything to call undesired attention to himself. Never wanted to go through the pain and loneliness his father had bestowed upon him. Never again.

And so, they separated that day, each walking their own ways, with their own nindou.

_"Do you know the consequences of breaking the rules?"_ Bordering on surprise and contempt, that his own teammate would make the same mistake his father did.

_"I do. And that's why I believe White Fang was a true hero."_ Desperate, unwilling to waste more time. Time to leave.

Words said in desperation conquer the stone after all, like water trickling through the cracks, watering seeds planted over the years by his teammates and Gai. Heart, still stone, still cracked. But now slowly melting. And in the warmth of the kindled love and friendship, a tiny plant begins to grow from the seeds, a small tree rising from the ruins of Kakashi's soul.

He returns, a changed man. Not fixed, but not entirely a lost cause.

And in the end, he can only watch in horrified fascination as the older boy- the clumsy one, the one who never thought before he acted, the inferior teammate, the prankster- was taken from them. Because of one word. There was- no, there _is_ no other word for, it no matter what Rin, Minato, and the others all say later.

_Cowardice._

His own fear, his own reluctance to suffer the same fate as his father. He was a coward. And that had killed his teammate and friend.

It was a stark reminder that as good as he was, as fast, strong and intelligent as he was, things would still happen.

Human. He was only human. And only a child who had been forced to grow up too early.

Obito showed his humanity with his love and helpless anger, his courage and sacrifice.

Kakashi showed it in his fear to be rejected by society, then in his numerous failings and shortcomings as a friend and teacher. The Stone was a loud trumpet call to his failures.

He finally matured with the other brutally taken from him. And he resolves never to lose a comrade again.

Hatake Kakashi. No longer a coward. Now one of two heroes made that day.

Years pass. One name lives. One still fighting to improve, to protect his comrades, his students. Wishing he had followed Gai's example when it came to playing favorites, wishing he'd had the foresight to stop Sasuke before things got out of hand.

The other name inscribed on the memorial stone. A name gone unspoken, neglected- but a name belonging to a living soul. A soul that watches, helpless as another invades his body, forcing him to destroy the people of the village he so loved. His love turns on him, rending his heart as Konoha's people fall by scores. People he knew and people he didn't.

And Kakashi and Obito know they will never be free of their humanity.


End file.
